A little bit of both. Make no mistake, I’m on the side of the industry on this point. Presumably, the residents did notice a change in their water (cloudier and smellier), but if tests prove levels are safe, then it’s small price for them to pay for our energy needs. The idea that we’re going to have pristine water and air was nice, but we live in a global economy now, where our competitors citizens don’t or can’t demand that. To compete with that, quality of life has to be adjusted. Of course, it’s not my water, but there ya go.
The prices on whole house filters has really come down while the efficiencies of these units has gone up.
"Drill baby, drill..."
If they did notice a difference in their water it was from the increase in the number of water wells removing the water from the ground. As you take the water out more water comes in to replace it and as it does it brings the so called “bad things” with it.
I’ve been the operator of a small public water supply for almost 30 years. We have four deep wells. There’s “stuff” in the water. Heck, there’s “stuff” in surface water supplies. It can’t all be removed, and it’s there naturally. But the amounts are infinitesimal! Fractions of a part per billion. And, they’re very strictly regulated by the epa. Water is different everywhere, depending on what the water is exposed to. Well water generally has more minerals present, surface water, more chemical agents. I can remember drinking from a water fountain in Midland Texas 50 years ago. Water tasted like metal! Like chompin’ on a penny. If we had to remove every trace of everything, there’s no way you could afford to use water! Back to a once a month bath, where the whole family shares the same bath water. And back to outhouses!
20 years ago, a rep from the epa (spit,,spit) told me they felt a fair water bill for a family of four should be $1,500 per year! And that was then! Wonder what they think is fair now?
BTW, our water has always passed all their tests with flying colors, but there’s still “stuff” in the water. Just not enough to remotely matter.